John Lees, born in Hove, Sussex, England in 1945, [1] is a retired sports journalist who holds the record for completing the fastest coast-to-coast walk across the United States.
Despite having asthma, he walked the length of Britain from Land's End at the southwestern tip of England to John o' Groats at the northeastern tip of Scotland in 1971. His walk covered 981 miles in 26½ days. [1]
The following year, when he completed his record-breaking 2,801 mile trans-America walk, he completed between 50 to 60 miles per day, averaging 55 miles daily, overall, at average speeds ranging between 4 and 5 mph. Starting at Los Angeles City Hall on 11 April 1972, he walked for 53 days, 12 hours and 15 minutes to New York City Hall, finishing on 3 June 1972. [1]
Lees became the sports reporter and cricket commentator for various BBC radio stations in the south east of England, including BBC Sussex, BBC Surrey and BBC Southern Counties Radio, where he was often referred to as "the gentleman of sport". He retired from BBC radio in September 2017. [2] [3]
He made a return visit to New York City Hall to mark the 30th anniversary of his amazing feat of endurance. This nostalgic event was covered by BBC Southern Counties Radio.
Lees is a keen birdwatcher. [3]
Kent is a county in the South East England region, the closest county to continental Europe. It borders Essex across the entire estuary of the River Thames to the north; the French department of Pas-de-Calais across the Strait of Dover to the south-east; East Sussex to the south-west; Surrey to the west and Greater London to the north-west. The county town is Maidstone.
Sussex is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom and, later, a county. It includes the ceremonial counties of East Sussex and West Sussex.
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England. The town is the administrative centre of the wider district of the same name. It lies on the River Ouse at the point where the river cuts through the South Downs.
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckinghamshire to the west. The largest settlement is Luton (225,262), and Bedford is the county town.
The Lyke Wake Walk is a 40-mile (64 km) challenge walk across the highest and widest part of the North York Moors National Park in North Yorkshire, England. The route remembers the many corpses carried over the moors on old coffin routes and the ancient burial mounds encountered on the way; the name derives from a lyke, the corpse and the wake - watching over the deceased. Its associated club has a social structure, culture and rituals based on the walk and Christian and folklore traditions from the area through which it passes.
West Sussex is a ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Crawley, and the county town is the city of Chichester.
Alfred Wainwright MBE, who preferred to be known as A. Wainwright or A.W., was a British fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator. His seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, published between 1955 and 1966 and consisting entirely of reproductions of his manuscript, has become the standard reference work to 214 of the fells of the English Lake District. Among his 40-odd other books is the first guide to the Coast to Coast Walk, a 182-mile (293-kilometre) long-distance footpath devised by Wainwright which remains popular today.
Doris "Granny D" Haddock was an American political activist from New Hampshire. Haddock achieved national fame when, between the ages of 88 and 90, starting on January 1, 1999, and culminating on February 29, 2000, she walked over 3,200 miles (5,100 km) across the continental United States to advocate for campaign finance reform. In 2004, she ran unsuccessfully as a Democratic challenger to incumbent Republican Judd Gregg in the U.S. Senate election in New Hampshire.
Southwick is a town in the Adur district of West Sussex, England located five miles (8 km) west of Brighton. It covers an area of 863.7 ha. In 2001 it had a population of 13,195.
Land's End to John o' Groats is the traversal of the length of the island of Great Britain between two extremities, in the southwest and northeast. The traditional distance by road is 874 miles (1,407 km) and takes most cyclists 10 to 14 days; the record for running the route is nine days. Off-road walkers typically walk about 1,200 miles (1,900 km) and take two or three months for the expedition. Signposts indicate the traditional distance at each end.
Copthorne is a village in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England. It lies close to Gatwick Airport, 25.5 miles (41 km) south of London, 21.5 miles (35 km) north of Brighton, and 36 miles (58 km) northeast of the county town of Chichester. Nearby towns include Crawley to the southwest and East Grinstead to the east. It is the most northerly ecclesiastical parish in the Diocese of Chichester in the Church of England, and together with Crawley Down makes up the civil parish of Worth.
Felbridge is a village and civil parish in the Tandridge district of Surrey with a playing field within its focal area, narrowly in West Sussex. Felbridge village forms a contiguous settlement with East Grinstead and had 829 homes and households at the time of the 2011 census. Domewood is part of Felbridge civil parish, which was created in 1953.
The Sussex Border Path is a long-distance footpath around the borders of Sussex, a historic county and former medieval kingdom in southern England. The main path is 150 miles (240 km) long and stays close to Sussex's borders with Hampshire, Surrey and Kent, connecting Thorney Island to Rye. There is also an additional 33-mile (53 km) spur known as the Mid Sussex Link, which links East Grinstead with Fishersgate and Mile Oak on the western boundary of the city of Brighton and Hove.
The Ramblers Association, branded simply as the Ramblers, is Great Britain's walking charity. The Ramblers is also a membership organisation with around 100,000 members and a network of volunteers who maintain and protect the path network. The organisation was founded in 1935 and campaigns to keep the British countryside open to all.
A long-distance trail is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, horse riding or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents except Antarctica.
Alexander Zak Lees, popularly known as Alex Lees, is an English professional cricketer who plays internationally for the England Test cricket team. In domestic cricket, he represents Durham, captaining the List A and T20 teams.
The Whitehawk Hill transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility located at Whitehawk, an eastern suburb of Brighton in the English city of Brighton and Hove. It is the city's main transmission facility for television and radio signals. It broadcasts digital television, FM and DAB radio to the coastal city of Brighton and Hove and to surrounding areas along the Sussex coast including Shoreham-By-Sea, Worthing and as far as Seaford. It stopped broadcasting analogue television when the digital switchover occurred locally in March 2012.
Georgia Louise Adams is an English cricketer who is the captain of Sussex and Southern Vipers, as well as playing for Southern Brave, Adelaide Strikers and New South Wales. Adams has previously played for Loughborough Lightning in the Women's Cricket Super League and Oval Invincibles in The Hundred. Adams is an all-rounder.
Paige Jamie Scholfield is an English cricketer who currently plays for Surrey and Oval Invincibles. An all-rounder, she is a right-handed batter and right-arm medium bowler. She has previously played for Sussex, Loughborough Lightning, Southern Vipers, South East Stars and Southern Brave.